Varane - a potential 'Clásico' young gun

Raphael Varane is looking at his first ever 'Clásico'. His extraordinary progression, mainly due to the team's absences putting him more regularly in the starting eleven, makes him a serious contender for centre-back at the Bernabéu.

It also looks as though Mourinho has reserved this 19 year-old French player, who is carving out a place for himself in Real Madrid, for the Copa del Rey match. He believes him to be on form, quick and much more reliable than he was in his first year.

It is precisely his speed that could secure him the centre-back position, alongside Albiol or Carvalho. Mou knows that he needs to line up an experienced centre-back with the young French player, experience being something both Albiol and Carvalho have in bucket-loads.

Varane has won Mourinho over due to his cool head on and off the pitch. The centre-back has put the work in to integrate with the team. He has been working alone during training and has learnt the language to speed up the integration process.

In a recent interview, the coach specifically commented on the former Rennes player's character. "He didn't come here as a boy, he was already a man; in the way he thought, the way he worked, the way he related to the rest of his teammates. He accepted that he was a great player, but also a player in training".